Shale Insight conference focuses on fossil fuels' impact on economy, tech and election

U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Lehigh Valley, on Tuesday lauded President Trump’s support of the fossil fuel industry during the opening day of the annual Shale Insight conference, being held virtually this year because of the covid-19 pandemic.

“Everyone in the room knows that President Trump, Vice President Pence and Republicans in Congress fully understand the importance of natural gas to this country’s energy today and the future,” Toomey said in a video message.

The annual conference, which runs online through Thursday, features a host of professionals in the fossil-fuel industry. It’s hosted by the Marcellus Shale Coalition.

Tuesday’s sessions focused heavily on how the extraction of fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal intersects with the economy, technology development and the 2020 election. Legislators from both sides of the aisle are scheduled to speak throughout the week, as well as government leaders and industry experts on green energy, EPA compliance and technology.

Toomey criticized Democratic support of legislation such as the Green New Deal that advocate for cleaner energy production and an eventual end to fossil fuel extraction, including former Vice President Joe Biden. He said “the choice is clear in this election.”

Throughout his campaign, Biden has stopped short of calling for a fracking ban — instead taking issue with the practice on federal lands. At a recent campaign stop in Pittsburgh, he addressed a Trump campaign ad that charges him with the opposite by saying, “I am not banning fracking. Let me say that again: I am not banning fracking. No matter how many times Donald Trump lies about me.”

Toomey praised the industry’s impact on the region, saying 300,000 jobs have been created “up and down the supply chain” and it has resulted in lower utility bills, reduced carbon emissions and Act 13 impact fees that have pumped money into local communities.

“This is money for bridge repairs and sewer projects and reducing the maintenance backlog at our state parks,” Toomey said.

Also Tuesday, Hilary Mercer, Shell Global’s vice president of Pennsylvania Chemicals, provided an update on the development of a multibillion-dollar ethane cracker plant in Beaver County. There also was a panel discussion on the use of natural gas derivatives in health care and other essential services, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette delivered a video message followed by a Q&A session with Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy Steve Winberg.

Brouillette, who visited the Pittsburgh region last week, emphasized the jobs and resources created by the region’s natural gas reserves. He said Trump’s leadership has made the United States “an energy powerhouse dominating the world stage.”

Brouillette said a ban on fracking would eliminate 19 million jobs and create vulnerability in parts of the country with grid stability. He called for the removal of “unnecessary” regulations on energy and continued innovation and opposition to programs that would limit or ban certain forms of energy production.

“There’s no reason to ban a single fuel that we have, the technology to produce it, the means to deliver it or to stifle technologies that make them cleaner,” he said. “We must continue to use every one of them so that America remains competitive in the global marketplace.”

During the Q&A, Winberg said production of plastics — a derivative of natural gas — is needed for the production of solar panels, wind turbines, electric vehicles and several other products. He touted the potential for carbon capture, utilization and storage technologies, which are used to reduce carbon emissions in fossil fuel extraction; and potential technology converting plastic waste to hydrogen.

Winberg and Brouillette also made the case for pipeline development across the United States, claiming the lack of pipelines across certain swaths of the country leaves areas reliant on natural gas imports from foreign countries like Russia. Advocates against the construction of pipelines, however, worry about regular leaks and spills that damage wildlife and water supplies.

Trump issued an executive order in 2019 to expand pipelines and another in June to remove certain environmental protections surrounding them. The economic crisis spurred by the pandemic, the latest order reads, necessitates a streamlined process.

“There simply is not enough pipeline capacity,” Winberg said. “We need to make some significant changes in the public’s perception about natural gas pipelines. … Without them, we simply can’t move the fuel we need to move.”